


A History Lesson, and a Realization

by GrimmVertigo



Series: Artist!AU [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist!Noctis, Backstory, M/M, War History, model!Nyx
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 08:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11893458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmVertigo/pseuds/GrimmVertigo
Summary: A brief lesson on how the war between Niflheim and Lucis came to pass, and how it affected the lives of three different people.





	A History Lesson, and a Realization

**Author's Note:**

> This is to provide some context for the Artist!AU I have going on. (Also to save my sanity, because _backstory_.)

The war between Niflheim and Lucis was not something anybody in Eos expected to happen. 

It started with a rebellion, as many wars do. The citizenry of Niflheim had grown tired of their Emperor's negligence and cruelty; after years of being suppressed and terrified into submission, the common folk had decided they'd put up with enough. 

Over the course of a year, the rebellion built up a reputation and grew in number. They staged several coups within various levels of the empire, boycotted what the government supported, went after those who were the most corrupt. For a while, the rebellion was largely successful. These were mostly the people of Gralea, after all - a city nestled in a mountain range that saw nothing but cold and snow. They were hard and efficient, good at what they did. 

When the Emperor decided to strike back, the rebellion didn't stand a chance. 

The attacks on the rebellion were swift and merciless. Over the course of a single week, a majority of the rebel forces were annihilated – killed or taken into custody. Yet this was not enough to crush the hopes of those left. 

The leaders of the rebellion petitioned Lucis for aid, under the pretense that the two nations had been at each other's throats for centuries; help the rebellion take down the Emperor of Niflheim, and Lucis has the satisfaction of knowing that a long-time enemy has been taken care of. 

Lucis accepted, but only insofar as to send passive aid, things like medical supplies and rations. Their goal was to offer assistance in such a way that avoided directly contributing to antagonizing Niflheim officials. The rebellion was content with this. 

Unfortunately for Lucis, the Empire saw these actions as insulting. They launched a small set of attacks against several Lucian settlements on the outskirts of their territory with a very clear warning: _stay out of this_. 

The people of Lucis were _outraged_. They pleaded with their king to retaliate, to avenge those who were wronged; the Nifs attacked mostly unprovoked, their actions were as good as sending a declaration of war. King Clarus Amicitia agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He was wary of inciting a full-blown war, but the voices of his people rang loud and clear. 

The morning the news broke of the war, thousands of Lucian citizens could be found lining up outside various government buildings, all with the intention of volunteering to fight. It was not enough, and the king was forced to institute a mandatory draft – all able-bodied men and women aged eighteen to thirty-five were to enlist. 

The draft was implemented a week before Niflheim's second wave of attacks, ordered on the grounds that they weaken Lucis as much as possible before new soldiers could be trained. This only served to enrage Lucian citizens even more, and they carried this hatred with them for the duration of the war. 

The fighting finally ends after seven hard years, when the Emperor of Niflheim is slain by Gralean rebels. It is seen as a victory for all. 

\--- 

Noctis Caelum is ten years old when the war starts. He remembers his father and mother going off to fight – Regis taking up the position of General, assigned to him by the King, while Aulea works in medic tents patching up the wounded. Noctis is left mostly alone in Insomnia under the watchful eye of "Uncle Cor". He doesn't mind being by himself, he's proud of his parents and what they do, and they always make time to visit every month or so. 

Noctis is thirteen when his mother dies, her convoy ambushed on their way to Tenebrae to help with the wounded that had fled there. Regis shows up at home unannounced, flanked by two soldiers in immaculate dress blues. The General holds a neatly folded Lucian flag in his arms, his face carefully blank but his eyes sad. Noctis takes one look at the flag, bolts upstairs, and locks himself in his room. He squeezes into the space at the back of his closet and cries; he only emerges when he hears Regis let himself into the room, looking close to tears himself. Noctis and Regis spend the rest of the night on Noct's too-small bed, curled up around the flag. 

As he grows up, he sees less and less of his father. Regis throws himself into his work, into the war, into making sure he _saves people_. Noctis only sees him during mandatory leave every few months, and even then, Regis is distant. After the fifth or sixth visit, he stops trying to talk to his dad, just sits in the same room as Regis and tells himself the company is enough. Soon, Noctis is too busy with school and a part-time job to even attempt that much. 

Noctis is seventeen when the war finally comes to an end. When he graduates from high school a few months later, he essentially becomes Regis's caretaker. The war, combined with Aulea's death, have taken their toll, leaving Regis with PTSD, a crippled left leg, and a weakened right arm. Noctis sees him through all of the physical therapy, eases him through the episodes of disassociation, coaxes him back into some sense of a normal life. 

Noctis starts university when he is nineteen. He is twenty-three when he meets Nyx... 

\--- 

Nyx Ulric is twenty when he and his father, Nìet, are drafted into the Lucian military in the fight against Niflheim. The Nifs attack Galahd in the dead of night not even twenty-four hours later, retaliation for Lucis attempting to build up their own fighting force. Nyx's mother and sister are caught in the middle of the chaos, and despite his attempt to save them, Nyx loses his mother, his sister, and his father. He is still forced to join the military. 

Over the years, as Nyx puts up with fighting battle after battle, he is noticed by the upper brass and picked out for a position in a new kind of infiltration unit – the Kingsglaive. It is under Regis's orders that Nyx operated, Regis's orders which sent the Kingsglaive out on covert strike missions. Regis is the one who the soldiers of the Kingsglaive blamed for the deaths of their teammates. Nyx and Regis meet face to face a scant handful of times. 

Nyx is twenty-seven when the war ends and he is dismissed from the line of duty. He moves to Insomnia, to an apartment provided to him by the regency. He is able to survive off of the stipend given to him due to his time in the military, but survive is all he does, and despite their role in the war, Insomnians do not react kindly to refugees. Work is scarce, made harder by Nyx's Galahdian heritage and the horrors of war that still leave him paralyzed with fear at the drop of a hat. 

It is no small miracle that he finds an independent modeling job, and when he is thirty-three, six years after the war, he meets Noctis... 

\--- 

When Regis discovers that his son is dating the star "hero" of the Kingsglaive covert-ops unit, he is dumbstruck at how small of a world it is, and then immediately filled with questions and concerns. How did these two meet? Does Noctis know about their history within the Lucian military? Does Nyx know about _him_ being Noct's father? How long will this relationship _last_? 

Even after several Sunday dinners with the two, Regis still has some reservations about Nyx dating his son. They're the normal sort of worries a father has, like whether or not Nyx is good enough for Noctis and the fear that Noctis will end up hurt by this man. But those fears are assuaged when he witnesses Noctis helping Nyx through a panic attack. 

It was a small thing, brought on by what Regis thinks is the hissing of the tea kettle on the stove - it sounds like an MT for that brief moment between simmering and boiling, and puts Nyx on edge. Regis sees one of his hands go to his waist, where he knew the man usually had a dagger tucked away, before he hobbles into the kitchen to turn the stove off. From his place near the door, Regis can hear Noctis talking in a hushed tone. He can't make out any words but is intimately familiar with the voice his son uses - the one he used to use when Regis himself was otherwise mentally incapacitated. 

Regis peeks around the corner and sees Noctis sitting in a dining chair next to Nyx, their hands entwined and faces close. Noct moved forward after a moment and leans his head against Nyx's chest, positioned in such a way that Nyx's nose is buried in his hair. Regis can see the man visibly deflate as he inhales, arms coming up to pull his son into a tight embrace, seemingly brought back to awareness through what he suspects is the scent of Noct's shampoo. 

It's in this moment that Regis realizes he has nothing to worry about. Nyx needs his son about as much as he thinks Noctis needs him. It reminds Regis of himself and Aulea back when they first fell in love, and he can't help but smile. 

His boy will be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: this is literally based off of the French Revolution. Except it's different, because the rebelling party actually _wins_. (Sorry for those of you who read this who might be French. Ily)
> 
> Unbeta'd  
> (We write and post and die like men.)


End file.
